1
as in to bewilder
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
the similar-sounding words "censure" and "censor" often confuse people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to complicate
to make (something) unclear to the understanding
stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to mistake
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related
a lot of people confuse popular fame with enduring achievement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to embarrass
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress
she was confused by the shocking bluntness of his marriage proposal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
vandals had hopelessly confused the papers in the office files
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confuse
The person was hospitalized and continued to be agitated and confused for 10 days, with blood calcium levels returning to normal after 18 days.
—
Jamie Johnson, Verywell Health, 29 Jan. 2026
The other two airports are Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK, formerly Oakland International Airport) in Oakland and San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in San Jose, not to be confused with SJO near San José, Costa Rica.
—Eve Chen, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Instead, actions like this are designed to keep doubt alive, confuse voters, and undermine confidence in our democratic process.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
DirecTV has MySports, which includes ESPN Unlimited, also not to be confused with ESPN+.
—Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for confuse
Jamie Johnson, Verywell Health, 29 Jan. 2026
The other two airports are Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK, formerly Oakland International Airport) in Oakland and San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in San Jose, not to be confused with SJO near San José, Costa Rica.
—Eve Chen, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Instead, actions like this are designed to keep doubt alive, confuse voters, and undermine confidence in our democratic process.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
DirecTV has MySports, which includes ESPN Unlimited, also not to be confused with ESPN+.
—Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for confuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confuse
Verb
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Oswalt confesses being bewildered by Bamford at first.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
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No matter what the reasons, Belichick, his former Patriots players and NFL fans, are bewildered by the snub.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even in the free states, attitudes toward slavery were complicated.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
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Treatment is complicated by difficulty detecting the cancer in early stages, and its resistance to common cancer drugs.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Food noise can be described as frequent thoughts about food that can sometimes be mistaken as hunger, experts say.—
Shiv Sudhakar,
FOXNews.com,
2 Feb. 2026
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That’s chilling, considering that roughly 20% of pregnancies result in miscarriages, and some experts say the actual rate is probably higher, since many women mistake losses in the early stages of pregnancy for late menstrual periods.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The assignment is to sit there and talk about it in public and possibly embarrass yourself by getting into a verbal confrontation in front of a restaurant of otherwise uninterested bystanders.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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Recently, Ryan spoke about the Beckham situation, the process of writing material as a mother without embarrassing her kids and her new goal of returning to the career trajectory of her pre-pregnant self in the near future.—
Deputy Entertainment,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Both sides say the strike will disrupt hospital operations.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
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The United States on June 25 launched a new satellite expected to significantly improve forecasts of solar flares and coronal mass ejections — huge plasma bubbles that can crash into Earth, disrupting power grids and communications.—
Sasirekha Subramanian,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That’s perplexing to Alvarez and Oakley, given that Cal State tuition is still relatively low, despite recent annual tuition hikes.—
Cal Matters,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Gargantuan boulders, twisted spiky trees, and vibrant sunset colors form an arid landscape that has perplexed and inspired creative titans like Jim Morrison and Gram Parsons for years.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For Cyborgs, the boundary between human and AI thinking became deliberately blurred.—
François Candelon,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
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As the interrogation unfolds, Dave’s belief that he was framed by the State begins to unravel, blurring the line between truth, obsession and self-deception.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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His strong, powerful hands can help collapse the pocket and make quarterbacks flustered.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
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Stidham was clearly flustered by it more and more as the game went along.—
Doug Kyed,
Hartford Courant,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Confuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confuse. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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